]]>http://www.directive21.com/blog/2015/01/diy-lip-balm/feed/0Save This List for Spring Cleaning!http://www.directive21.com/blog/2015/01/save-list-spring-cleaning/
http://www.directive21.com/blog/2015/01/save-list-spring-cleaning/#commentsSat, 10 Jan 2015 04:50:08 +0000http://www.directive21.com/?p=19838With the cold spell making us long for springtime, you might wanna bookmark this blog post…37 Deep Cleaning Tips Every Obsessive Clean Freak Should Know. Now, contrary to that article’s title, deep cleaning isn’t limited to “obsessive clean freaks” and it’s definitely not limited to the spring time. For example: Ever considered using citrus fruits to […]

]]>http://www.directive21.com/blog/2015/01/save-list-spring-cleaning/feed/0Hungry? Lemme Print You Some Cookies!http://www.directive21.com/blog/2015/01/hungry-lemme-print-cookies/
http://www.directive21.com/blog/2015/01/hungry-lemme-print-cookies/#commentsFri, 09 Jan 2015 00:37:19 +0000http://www.directive21.com/?p=19827A San Diego company known as XYZprinting, Inc. is producing printers that can print food. Yeah, you read that right. Of course, you’ll need to bake your dough-based creation but after it’s done in the oven, you can send it down the hatch. But wait…what are your thoughts? Are you willing to take a bite […]

A San Diego company known as XYZprinting, Inc. is producing printers that can print food. Yeah, you read that right. Of course, you’ll need to bake your dough-based creation but after it’s done in the oven, you can send it down the hatch.

But wait…what are your thoughts? Are you willing to take a bite out of this kind of technology? After all, the printer’s price point is apparently just shy of $2,000.00. Check it out for yourself in the video below:

]]>http://www.directive21.com/blog/2015/01/hungry-lemme-print-cookies/feed/012 year shelf life verified for Mountain House Food Storagehttp://www.directive21.com/blog/2014/10/12-year-shelf-life-verified-mountain-house-food-storage/
http://www.directive21.com/blog/2014/10/12-year-shelf-life-verified-mountain-house-food-storage/#commentsFri, 17 Oct 2014 13:37:32 +0000http://www.directive21.com/?p=18187Research Shows 12 year shelf life Albany, OR (PRWEB) October 06, 2014 New testing by the Sensory Science Laboratory at Oregon State University has found the food pouches of Mountain House, the leading provider of freeze dried foods for outdoor recreation and long-term storage, offer a 20-percent longer shelf life than previously verified. The third-party […]

Research Shows 12 year shelf life

Albany, OR (PRWEB) October 06, 2014

New testing by the Sensory Science Laboratory at Oregon State University has found the food pouches of Mountain House, the leading provider of freeze dried foods for outdoor recreation and long-term storage, offer a 20-percent longer shelf life than previously verified. The third-party testing, which Mountain House commissions on a regular basis to ensure their rigorous standards are met, showed a 12-year shelf life, compared to the 10-year shelf life previous testing had proved in 2012.

This represents the longest independently verified shelf life in the industry.

“Shelf life remains one of the most important variables in the emergency preparedness market, and we are continually looking to provide our consumers with the most up-to-date information on our products, backed by unbiased third-party testing,” said Reiner Bohlen, marketing manager at Mountain House. “Other companies may claim to offer pouches of food with longer shelf lives, but they fail to provide independent testing to substantiate those claims.”

For those looking to Mountain House for emergency preparedness or other long-term food storage needs, the brand’s food packaged in #10 cans offers a verified 25-year shelf life and has been a popular choice for decades. This latest testing on Mountain House foods packaged in proprietary pouches shows them to be another viable option for long-term storage. The pouches also provide greater variety, easier storage, and more convenient serving sizes.

To conduct the testing, the OSU Sensory Science Laboratory evaluated foods from Mountain House pouches archived 12 years ago and compared the results to the same recipes packaged this year. The testing found with a 99.9% confidence level that there is not a significant difference in taste between the current pouches of food and those that are aged 12 years.

“We know the emergency preparedness community takes great care in storing food. After all, the health, well-being, and comfort of their families depends on it”,” said Bohlen. “At Mountain House, we take the same care in creating our meals. We also have the most conservative definition of shelf life in the industry: virtually indistinguishable from new production. We want people to trust that in an emergency, they’ll be able to turn to Mountain House products for reliable, great-tasting and nutritious foods, on day one or year 12.”

Oregon Freeze Dry, the makers of Mountain House, has a long history of excellence in the freeze-dried foods industry, pioneering the necessary technology and processes for over 50 years. As part of a rigorous, ongoing quality assurance program, Mountain House regularly tests its own archived products rather than making assumptions based on “accelerated aging” or testing of other types of food. More information on Mountain House’s efforts in this area can be found on its website.

]]>http://www.directive21.com/blog/2014/10/12-year-shelf-life-verified-mountain-house-food-storage/feed/0Bugging Out vs. Hunkering Downhttp://www.directive21.com/blog/2014/09/bugging-vs-hunkering/
http://www.directive21.com/blog/2014/09/bugging-vs-hunkering/#commentsFri, 05 Sep 2014 15:28:29 +0000http://www.directive21.com/?p=17297What Would You Do In a Bug Out vs. Hunker Down Emergency Situation? The idea of Bugging Out vs. Hunkering Down in an emergency situation is never cut and dry in our opinion. The type of situation, your preparedness and your location would really determine which is the best logical choice. Bugging Out is the idea […]

What Would You Do In a Bug Out vs. Hunker Down Emergency Situation?

The idea of Bugging Out vs. Hunkering Down in an emergency situation is never cut and dry in our opinion. The type of situation, your preparedness and your location would really determine which is the best logical choice. Bugging Out is the idea of leaving your home and heading to a more remote location in a catastrophic emergency. Hunkering down is the idea of staying put in your home or in the home of friends or family members during a catastrophic emergency.

Both have their risk – reward and could spell disaster (no pun intended) if you make your decision based on fear. If you have young children that could be a game changer as well and the idea of hunkering down in the middle of a big city. That might be a dangerous place to be at the same time.

So what is the best option you might ask? Our friends over at the survivalistblog.com have given us some things to really consider if a catstrophic event were to happen. The key is preparation regardless of your choice, using logic and not fear to make your decision, and to weigh your options per emergency scenario instead of a blanket decision for all scenarios.

]]>http://www.directive21.com/blog/2014/09/bugging-vs-hunkering/feed/0Items a prepper should never throw awayhttp://www.directive21.com/blog/2014/09/items-prepper-never-throw-away/
http://www.directive21.com/blog/2014/09/items-prepper-never-throw-away/#commentsThu, 04 Sep 2014 13:35:27 +0000http://www.directive21.com/?p=17290What are some items a prepper should never throw away It’s National Preparedness month in September and you’ll see a lot of information about getting prepared and the types of things you should have on hand. An important aspect of getting prepared should also include making the most out of the things you might already […]

What are some items a prepper should never throw away

It’s National Preparedness month in September and you’ll see a lot of information about getting prepared and the types of things you should have on hand. An important aspect of getting prepared should also include making the most out of the things you might already have on hand.

If we pay attention we would see that there are items a prepper should never throw away that we might need in an emergency. What might that be?

For instance:

Broken crayons, candle stubs, and any other form of paraffin wax can be used to make new candles, or along with other items to make fire starting tablets.

Dryer lint can be used as tinder, or when combined with paraffin wax or petroleum jelly, to make fire starting tablets.

Cardboard egg cartons can be used to sprout seeds or as the container for fire starting tablets.

All types of wood. Lumber can be used for construction and scrap wood (not pressure treated) can be used as fuel and in hugal beds/permaculture.

]]>http://www.directive21.com/blog/2014/09/items-prepper-never-throw-away/feed/0National Preparedness Month is September!http://www.directive21.com/blog/2014/09/national-preparedness-month-september/
http://www.directive21.com/blog/2014/09/national-preparedness-month-september/#commentsWed, 03 Sep 2014 17:27:24 +0000http://www.directive21.com/?p=17275National Preparedness Month is Here. If you haven’t recently, now might be a good time to access your overall preparedness during National Preparedness Month. With so many reasons to have some of the essentials you’ll need on a daily basis at your disposal, it makes sense to take some time to do a needs assessment. […]

National Preparedness Month is Here.

If you haven’t recently, now might be a good time to access your overall preparedness during National Preparedness Month. With so many reasons to have some of the essentials you’ll need on a daily basis at your disposal, it makes sense to take some time to do a needs assessment. Unfortunately, this is something we should all be doing on a regular basis and not just in September. But for those who are fairly new to self reliance and preparedness it’s a start.

Most of the time “Preppers” are not thought of as anything more than crazy people preparing for the end of the world by the media as we have seen on television. However, being prepared or prepping is not defined by “Doomsayers” but actually includes over 3 million Americans from all walks of life and from every corner of the country. Why is this you might ask? There are a few good reasons that prepping is growing and it has mostly to do with living a more sustainable lifestyle and getting back to basics while realizing the government isn’t going to be there to help when a major disaster strikes.

Amazingly, according to a new survey conducted by the Adelphi University Center for Health Innovation, 55 percent of Americans believe that the authorities will come to their rescue when disaster strikes. We have news for you, FEMA is not going to come to anyones rescue anytime soon if disaster strikes. If we think back to Hurricane Katrina of any other natural disaster in recent memory, or consider some of the potential scenarios including a major financial collapse, It’s time to get prepared so you can take care of your own family if need be.

So what are just few of the things you and your family can start to do today? We compiled a short basic list to help you to start to get your “Preparedness” house in order.

Air> Air is the most important thing we need to survive. It is said that you can live “four minutes without air, four days without water, and forty days without food.” So, are you CPR certified? Can you help someone if they stopped breathing? If not get certified. Here is how to get certified

Water > Water is an essential to have on hand. 30 gallons per person (2 gallons per person per day for 1 week). This might sound excessive, but look at your water bill this month! This figure assumes that when at home, you will occasionally want a sponge bath, or to cook something like pasta or rice. You might even wash your hair or clothes, and will eventually flush a toilet. Large food grade 55 gallon plastic drums are ideal for bulk water storage. A good location is in your detached garage. Remember that your water heater in the house is typically 50 gallons, and may be used if your dwelling survives. Additional water may be purchased in single use plastic bottles, and should be stored away from the house or garage. Remember that these water bottles will need to be rotated out since they have a limited shelf life unless water treatment is used. A portable water filtration system is a must. These systems can provide a very high quality of clean fresh water. A good water test kit is also recommended so you can evaluate your stored water on an on-going basis.

Shelter > Where would you go if a disaster struck and left you without your home? FEMA recommends that you know that information now as well as some other important evacuation routes in your area. Do you have a temporary shelter at home that you could use if needed? If not get one and keep it dry and easy to get too.

Fire > We have all seen survival television shows and each and every time lighting a fire is paramount to survival over the long haul. We may need it to keep warm, to cook, to disinfect water, for light and protection. Can you light a fire if needs be? How to build a fire so it will light – survival 101

Survival Kit > A survival kit is a short term kit of essentials to last you approx three days. It can be kept in your car incase you get stranded in an emergency. > Learn more

BOB or Bug Out Bag > A Bug Out Bag is more of a long term survival kit designed to help you get out of town or “bug out”. It would include all of the above mentioned items to a greater or lesser degree plus much more.Some examples of items included might be weapons, shelter and bedding, clothing, a heat source and tools to name a few. A good example can be foundright here.

There is so much more that you can do to get your self prepared both in the short and long term but this will be a good start. Remember the Internet is a great source of information on all things “Preparedness”.

If you start today you will be better off than most Americans are in case of a natural disaster or National emergency.

]]>http://www.directive21.com/blog/2014/09/national-preparedness-month-september/feed/0Official Berkey Response to Toledo Ohio Algae Bloomhttp://www.directive21.com/blog/2014/08/official-berkey-response-toledo-ohio-algae-bloom/
http://www.directive21.com/blog/2014/08/official-berkey-response-toledo-ohio-algae-bloom/#commentsWed, 06 Aug 2014 19:52:47 +0000http://www.directive21.com/?p=16843ALGAE BLOOM – FAQ Below is some information that might be helpful, with respect to the recent Algae Bloom and resulting contamination of the water supply to Toledo, Ohio: “…Cyanobacterial cells range in size from 0.5-1 μm to 40 μm in diameter…” In other words, it’s a long skinny […]

ALGAE BLOOM – FAQ

Below is some information that might be helpful, with respect to the recent Algae Bloom and resulting contamination of the water supply to Toledo, Ohio: “…Cyanobacterial cells range in size from 0.5-1 μm to 40 μm in diameter…” In other words, it’s a long skinny bacteria.
Reference:http://huey.colorado.edu/cyanobacteria/about/cyanobacteria.php

Internet research seems to indicate that cyanobacteria are even larger, typically on the scale of 150 micrometers in size. While we have not tested the specific microbes associated with Algae Blooms, we have tested other pathogenic bacteria and two viruses, which are a small fraction of the size of these microbes.

To understand the difference between the size of pathogenic bacteria and viruses, we suggest the following web link as it will give you a great visual of the The University of Utah Cell Size and Scale Chart: http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/cells/scale/

Slide the scale at the bottom to see the size of virus vs bacteria vs other potential contaminates and magnify to greater levels. Black Berkey™ purification elements have been tested to remove both pathogenic bacteria and viruses to greater than the EPA purification standards. This suggests that larger bacteria, such as cyanobacteria, should also be effectively removed. Without test data on that specific microbe however, NMCL does not make that specific claim. The MS-2 virus is 24-26 nm in size. The Fr Coliphage virus is 25nm in size

In other words, they are over 1,000 times smaller than Cyanobateria. Additionally Microcystins, which are the chemical contaminates resulting from cyanobacteria are an organic chemical. Testing of Black Berkey™ elements has demonstrated they are extremely efficient at removing organic chemicals.

The EPA defines Microcystins as: “…toxins produced by cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria are also known as blue-green algae and are ubiquitous in surface water when conditions are favorable for growth and formation of algal blooms. Cyanobacteria release toxins upon cell death or lysis. When released, toxins may persist for weeks to months.

Toxins of most concern are microcystins. Microcystins take their name from the genera Microcystis. Most microcystins are hepatotoxins (liver toxins). Hepatotoxins are produced by species of the genera Microcystis, Anabena, Nodularia, Oscillatoria among others. Most microcystins are associated with Microcystis aeruginosa. While the liver is the primary target of microcystins, it is also a skin, eye and throat irritant…” Reference: http://iaspub.epa.gov/tdb/pages/contaminant/contaminantOverview.do?contaminantId=-1336577584

Finally, the EPA states that: “…Removal of total microcystins, M-LR, and M-LA, in water by granular activated carbon (GAC) can be very effective where the effectiveness is based on the empty bed contact time, the carbon’s age, and possible biodegradation of the toxin. Time-dependent monitoring in a full-scale plant ranged 43 to 60 percent removal for M-LR. Time-dependent monitoring in pilot-scale studies ranged from greater than 99 percent at one month to 73 percent at 3.5 months for M-LR, and from greater than 99 percent at one month to 38 percent at 3.5 months for M-LA…” Reference: http://iaspub.epa.gov/tdb/pages/contaminant/contaminantOverview.do?contaminantId=-1336577584

Based upon the above Internet research, Black Berkey™ element microbe and organic chemical removal test data and the information provided by the EPA in their reference material cited above; these all suggest that Berkey® water purification systems should be extremely effective at removing and reducing contaminates resulting from the current algae bloom. NMCL also highly recommends that whenever possible, the cleanest source water available should always be utilized.

]]>http://www.directive21.com/blog/2014/08/official-berkey-response-toledo-ohio-algae-bloom/feed/1Tiny Survival Kits you can fit in your pockethttp://www.directive21.com/blog/2014/07/tiny-survival-kits/
http://www.directive21.com/blog/2014/07/tiny-survival-kits/#commentsTue, 22 Jul 2014 02:15:10 +0000http://www.directive21.com/?p=16623What would you keep in your tiny survival kits? Question for you, can almost everything you’ll need to survive an emergency fit into an Altoids can or something of similar size? Well, we found six different versions of survival kits that meet that description over at tis-eventide.com. Each one has it owns unique list of […]

What would you keep in your tiny survival kits?

Question for you, can almost everything you’ll need to survive an emergency fit into an Altoids can or something of similar size? Well, we found six different versions of survival kits that meet that description over at tis-eventide.com.

Each one has it owns unique list of contents , and not one is the same. What does that tell us? It says that everyone has their own description of what it means and takes to survive and that extends well beyond the limits of an Altoids can. But you already knew that.

So what do you need to survive anyway? According to a recent article we read the 5 basic needs to survive are:

1 Water
2. Food
3. Shelter
4. Fire
5. Signaling

I’m not sure about #5 as a basic need, but it sure could come in handy if you want to get out of some unforsaken place. As we mentioned, not everyone agrees however as to what the contents should be for a tiny survival kit. These 6 survival kits offer a wide range of ideas as to what should be included and not included.

]]>http://www.directive21.com/blog/2014/07/tiny-survival-kits/feed/0Easy and inexpensive portable solar water heater DIY for under $10.00http://www.directive21.com/blog/2014/07/easy-inexpensive-portable-solar-water-heater-10-00-diy/
http://www.directive21.com/blog/2014/07/easy-inexpensive-portable-solar-water-heater-10-00-diy/#commentsFri, 18 Jul 2014 16:43:46 +0000http://www.directive21.com/?p=16590Portable Solar water heater is a great survival tool to have in your preps. Hot water is something we all will want every day and especially in a SHTF scenario or unexpected emergency or disaster. It may not be something you’ll necessarily have access too without some forethought on your part. We’ve seen a lot […]

Portable Solar water heater is a great survival tool to have in your preps.

Hot water is something we all will want every day and especially in a SHTF scenario or unexpected emergency or disaster. It may not be something you’ll necessarily have access too without some forethought on your part.

We’ve seen a lot of different options for solar water heaters, some really expensive and some not too bad. But this DIY is really something you should checkout because of its easy of use and portability and low cost.

We found this on the Mother Earth News Blog. This simple build uses inexpensive parts to make an effective source of hot water any time you need it.